End of Month Review - September 2014

September has been officially (or allegedly, take your pick) the driest September for fifty years in Leicestershire.  I have not lived in Leicester for fifty years but it certainly the driest start to autumn I think I have ever known.  The established planting is not suffering too badly but the annuals and newer planting is looking worried.
I have finally got around to painting the front of the shed.  I have only painted the front as until I get the roof fixed there seems little point in spending too much time on it.  The sides are not so weather-worn as the front either, the rain (when we get any) must come in most often from this side.
I have tidied the front garden and clipped the box hedging so it looks better again now.  I am seriously considering putting gravel inside the knot garden as the attempts at planting I have tried have not generally done well.  I am thinking about this though, I have not quite made up my mind as yet.
The gravel garden is looking okay despite the lack of rain.  In true gravel garden style this part of the garden is never watered, it sinks or swims (without water).
The pots on the way into the back garden are still doing well.  The banana is thriving, the passiflora has produced a bright orange fruit and I am managing to keep them sufficiently watered.  Lawrence decided to photobomb this shot so I decided he could feature too.
The Pond Border is looking quite colourful.  This large aster and the perennial sunflower at the rear have not needed any watering and add great color this time of year.
This border is making me very happy, from this angle it looks pretty good and flowery.
This patch of planting has worked very well this year and has not really been watered since it established earlier in the year.
But just walk a couple more steps along and this patch is looking dry and in need of water.  The soil varies hugely in the garden and in this border, some areas are far more water retentive than others.
The shady courtyard has not needed too much watering either, the buds are appearing on the camellia and the rhododendron 'Luteum' is taking on its autumn color.
The view across the Conservatory Border is looking more autumnal too.  There is now an aster 'frikartii 'Monch'' which is giving some good color even though it is quite small as it was only divided earlier this year.  This patch directly in front of the conservatory has always struggled a bit.  This is largely my fault as I allowed Geranium 'phaeum' to self seed unchecked and it swamped out this corner.  I have now got that more in check, but it has been a bit bare this year because of this as it took me a while to replace the planting.
The rest of the Conservatory Border is looking quite dry too.  The annual planting in this border has pretty much failed and it is a bit gappy because of this.
The Spring Border is also very gappy as it is not fully planted up yet.  It is also disappearing under a carpet of Bramley leaves.
The Prairie Borders seem to be coping well with this dry weather, but the rudbeckia I planted in there only last month have struggled and I am not sure if many will survive.
The Tree Lupin Border is looking quite bright with dahlias.
I have planted sunflowers in this border and they have been excellent,  I am totally converted to these dark coloured ones.
The Bog Garden is struggling in the dry weather.  This is a very dry part of the garden unfortunately, but it does seem to spring back ok when it gets a bit of rain.
There has been a lot of planting in the top corner of the Wild Garden.  Now the threat of impending tree-falling which has been hanging over me all year has finally gone, I can start to develop this part of the garden as I intended.  It is incredibly dry so I am having to keep it watered frequently.
This Peltoboykinia has been stomped into the ground twice by the tree people, but it keeps popping back up.  I am watering it as an encouragement not to give up.
In the other corner the grotto is being watched over by Bubo the owl, he will hopefully weather up quite soon.  I could try the yoghurt trick, but somehow announcing I am going to douse my owl in yoghurt sounds a bit weird.
The Wild Garden has been mowed and is looking incredibly dry.  The trees are starting to look more autumnal as well.  Lawrence decided having got away with being photographed once he would repeat the performance.
The tulip tree has grown really well this year.  The leaves are so large and are turning a wonderful yellow.
The small gingko is also getting that edge of yellow.
Whereas the wintering flowering cherry is getting budded up ready for flowering in a few weeks.
I need to harvest the medlar crop, the tree is covered in them this year.
I still keep staring at the changed skyline now the huge poplar is now just a stump.  It has created a big gap in the squirrel's runway, they used to be able to get from one side of the garden to the other by running along the trees, now there is a mega-jump to bridge.
and I keep staring at the stump and thinking of building a model of it out of mashed potato a la Richard Dreyfuss.  Maybe I watch too many films.....
The pleached hornbeams have come on well this year.  I think I can actually call them pleached now.
The Four Sisters have grown well this year.  The Carol Klein acer has put on quite a spurt of growth and the edgeworthia is looking healthy.  This is good, I will soon be on edgeworthia-watch again and hoping that it gets through the winter (and maybe even flower!).
The veg beds are looking reasonable and I have had a good crop of sweetcorn this year.  This has made me very happy if not a little smug.
The greenhouse is reasonably full of cuttings, seedlings and chillies.
and the table is still full of pots.
Bruce sleeps on the grassy knoll, he has made a nest for himself in the grass.
and the pond is getting really quite low but is still a total disgrace as it is so full of parrot weed.
Thanks as usual to Helen for hosting this meme.